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Post by MinnieMom on Jan 23, 2023 19:37:55 GMT -5
Hello friends! I'm typing this from the 7th floor of Flamingo Crossings Homewood Suites. Dinner is cooking in my little toaster oven and I'm looking forward to seeing some high burst fireworks in the distance from my window in about 45 minutes. This is the 2nd time I have stayed at this hotel. The first was September last year, when I wanted a cheap single night option before a DVC stay at Saratoga to celebrate one of my closest friends 50th birthday. I enjoyed the location and thought it was worth repeating.
This is a hhonors points stay, so zero cash cost for 5 nights. That sets the bar lower to me for quality/value. It's been a pleasant surprise since checking in yesterday. The suite is a studio, but includes a decent kitchen, table and living space in addition to the bed & bathroom. If DH and DD were traveling with me, we would spring for the slight additional upcharge for a one bedroom just to get a door between us and the sofa bed for DD. She's hit the stage of giggling with friends for what feels like hours on her phone. I spent some time in the heated pool last night. It was nice. I wish there was a hot tub, but do not think there is one here.
I took the toll road around Orlando to get to the hotel yesterday. That was a win for sure. The drive from here to Disney is quick and easy. Granted it is a relatively slow week, but it was a 12 minute drive from this parking lot to magic kingdom parking lot this afternoon. That is not bad at all.
While I have park reservations for the week, I may well wind up cancelling them to enjoy the easy entry after 2pm for AP. I'm working on campground stuff remotely this week in the mornings, then spending afternoons in the parks. I caught Festival of Fantasy today for the first time since before the pandemic. Is it ironic that I opted to watch it from the train station? While the best viewing area is roped off for VIP guests, it is still a great place to catch the show.
Tomorrow is probably Epcot to check out this year's Festival of Arts. That is my favorite festival these days.
My plan is to do one video for this trip as it wraps up. But if anyone wants any specific photos, just let me know. I'll be happy to try to swing by to take a photo & include it here.
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Post by sherrih on Jan 23, 2023 20:16:32 GMT -5
I'm always so happy to read your trip reports.
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Post by Brian5581 on Jan 25, 2023 14:52:54 GMT -5
Enjoy your getaway!
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Post by MinnieMom on Jan 26, 2023 11:13:06 GMT -5
Thanks! It's been a great week so far, a nice blend of remote working & relaxing. Monday was the Magic Kingdom. Seeing the parade again from the train station was a blast. Riding the train was a fun way to chat with strangers as a solo rider. The peoplemover was going again for the first time in several visits. So I enjoyed a couple of trips around tommorrowland. It's cool to see the tron cycles running. That looks like it is going to be a great ride.
I went walking all around Flamingo Crossings yesterday morning. While obviously still very new, this place has some potential to grow into a fun place to get a touch of the Disney master planning without the theming. Little things like seeing the elevator certificate approved by Reedy Creek are fun to find. Once a few more stores move in, the crowds might well follow.
My real estate friend Keisha stopped by & we had lunch out by the pool yesterday. The company was great, the scenery was lovely. The food was meh. Not great, not bad - but not worth repeating. My other friend Laurie came over for the afternoon. We swam then made dinner in my room. She looked over some campground stuff with me and helped me put together the initial merch list for the camp store. We watched the MK fireworks from my sofa. The view is actually much better than I thought it would be that first night. If I pulled up a video of the fireworks to get the soundtrack about right, that might be one of the best ways ever to watch the show.
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Post by FessParker1 on Jan 26, 2023 22:18:17 GMT -5
Don't forget to pick up the Dumbo magnet when you go to Epcot. Have a great rest of the week.
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Post by Eeyorelover22 on Jan 27, 2023 3:55:40 GMT -5
My friend often stays there. She enjoys it and the price! It is very close to property. That’s the way we come in when we drive down.
Enjoy!
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Post by captjacksfamily on Jan 27, 2023 6:07:39 GMT -5
I didn't realize they had actually started the APs after 2pm don't need a park reservation thing, the only announcement I know of was that it will be starting in the "near" future. That would be great if they have already started it.
If you are looking for other off site places to eat cruise up 429 to Hamlin (about 10min) and try Ford's Garage, Home Town Brewery, Or the New York Beer Project (off of Seidel).
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Post by Eeyorelover22 on Jan 27, 2023 7:52:48 GMT -5
I didn't realize they had actually started the APs after 2pm don't need a park reservation thing, the only announcement I know of was that it will be starting in the "near" future. That would be great if they have already started it. If you are looking for other off site places to eat cruise up 429 to Hamlin (about 10min) and try Ford's Garage, Home Town Brewery, Or the New York Beer Project (off of Seidel). Me either on 2pm. Maybe she’s contemplating it, but it’s not in force yet? |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jan 27, 2023 9:48:33 GMT -5
I am tempted to cancel a reservation and try the 2pm to verify it is working. I didn't wind up going to MK until after 2pm, but don't recall if I cancelled the reservation I had for that day or not. Thanks for the restaurant suggestions! I picked up Dumbo magnet yesterday. It is currently on the fridge here. Now I have to make sure I grab it to take it home with me. Epcot was a good time yesterday. I got there just after lunch and started with one of the newer photo ops. I am not sure about this one. It seems more odd than not.   Spaceship Earth was basically a walk on, so I enjoyed a trip through 30,000 years in about 10 minutes. Then it was over to Creations for the AP magnet. I stopped by the pavilion near baby care. I miss the display of coming attractions. That was actually a lot of fun. Now it is a distribution point for Figment popcorn buckets and festival food. A small area is also being used to showcase some art for the festival. My mother in law loves Tinkerbell. I saw a print by Ryan Riller she might like. The artist gets to the festival Feb 1, so that's a bit of a bummer. On the other hand, a cast member said if I have it shipped, they can hold it & the artist will sign it for me. Maybe...  I spent the afternoon riding rides and meandering art booths. I found two more prints that I like. One is another Tink option for Grandma. This one is called I Believe by Ashley Taylor.  The last image would be one for me. I like it, not sure I love it. It is the Thomas Kinkade Gallery 50th anniversary for Disney World on a small canvas. CM said this will no longer be offered when 50th celebration ends. The artist is here this week, so I could get that one signed. I'm thinking about the small canvas. I don't have a great place to put it right now, but I do like it and would enjoy having something lasting as souvenir for the 50th.  Today is Animal Kingdom. I've noticed that the safari in particular seems to have wait times drop significantly early to mid afternoon. So I'm doing some work this morning with the intent of visiting AK in a couple of hours, probably followed by a follow up visit to Epcot to buy a couple of those prints. Laurie may come hang out this evening. We could watch MK fireworks from the room again. I'm actually really enjoying that! |
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Post by Eli's Nana on Jan 27, 2023 13:46:42 GMT -5
Enjoying your TR. Thank you for taking the time to share!
Also glad I caught up on your campground updates before the old forums went away. Been so interesting!
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Post by helenabear on Jan 27, 2023 16:32:29 GMT -5
Love the report so far. I haven't seen a date yet just in a few months for WDW. I'm hoping at the same time park reservations for onsite will be dropped too  |
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Post by Eeyorelover22 on Jan 27, 2023 21:00:52 GMT -5
I bought the 50th Castle in the small canvas wrap and had the artist sign it and he drew a picture of Cinderella on the back too. I debated about it a long time. I’m glad I bought it.
As it has hung on my wall, I’ve grown to love this picture. I have several Kinkade pictures. They are all movies or of characters. I have the Castle that was originally done which is paper and I had it framed. It doesn’t look like the real Castle actually even though I have always loved it. The 50th Castle picture is the real Castle and it has real people in it. It reminds me of the real people I’ve been with at WDW. Family, friends, MOs, CMs, etc. It’s an interesting piece for me.
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Post by MinnieMom on Jan 30, 2023 15:28:07 GMT -5
Thanks Eeyorelover22! That was great to learn and tipped me over the line. I picked up the small canvas of the 50th yesterday. The artist asked me which sketch I preferred for the back. I asked for Figment to celebrate getting it at the Festival of the Arts.
The trip overall went so well I extended a couple of days. There was a hiccup with the hotel, which I covered in a different thread. Below is a quick summary so I'll remember which details to add later this week when finish this TR with photos & video.
Sunday: Arrive
Monday: Magic Kingdom
Tuesday: Work Day
Wednesday: Friend day!
Thursday: Epcot
Friday: Work Day
Saturday: Hollywood Studios
Sunday: Epcot
Monday: Animal Kingdom
Tuesday: Magic Kingdom
As a bonus - fireworks from the room every night. That was an unexpected delight for this hotel. Here's a quick look at how I watched Enchanted pretty much every night this visit.
As noted in the comments, the video playing on the TV with real fireworks in the distance in the window is from the youTube channel Clifflix and the specific video is .
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Post by MinnieMom on Jan 30, 2023 15:45:16 GMT -5
Enjoying your TR. Thank you for taking the time to share! Also glad I caught up on your campground updates before the old forums went away. Been so interesting! Aww - thank you! I wish I had copied the old campground thread before old MO went away. Oh well. I started a new thread here! magicowners.com/thread/124/minniemom-campground |
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Post by MinnieMom on Jan 31, 2023 17:17:49 GMT -5
Cheers! I'm back home again in SC. On the drive home, DH mentioned DD wanted our April girls trip to be just the two of us. Oh no - I'd already invited one of my BFFs to join us. My brainstorm was to call BFF to see if she would rather a shorter trip in Feb or March for just the two of us. She loved the idea of an adults only weekend. So win for me as it looks like I now have two more Orlando trips to plan before current AP expires!
I'll try hard to work on media from the trip to do my first real video TR and post it in a reasonable amount of time. Stay tuned.....
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